Signaling apparatus



March 17, 1925. 1,530,085 A. KoKr-:NGE

SIGNALING APPARATUS Filed April 12, 1924 An ton ifo/fe nge,

"glrne j Patented Mar. 17, 1925.

ANTON KOKENGE. on GRAVILLE, IOWA.

SIGNALING' APPARATUS.

Appiication mea April 12, 1924. serial No. s-,osa

To all who/1a t may concern:

Be it known that l, ANTON Kommen. a citizen of the "United States, residing at Granville, in the county 'of Sioux and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signaling AppaL ratus, of which the following is a specification.-

My invention relates to improvements in signaling apparatus, and the object of my improvement is to supply for the crossing of a highway by a railroad, a` signaling device which may be shifted from an unsignaling to a signaling position, and then in succession returned to its unsignaling position, by independent trip mecl'ianisms which are successively actuated by contact of a passing train.

This object I have accomplished by the means which are hereinafter described and claimed, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of invention herein disclosed can-be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of .the invention.

In said drawings, Fig.` 1 is an elevation of my signaling apparatus as positioned at the intersection of a railroad and a highway, parts being sectioned o r brokenl away, vand Fig. 2 is a plan view of partsof the apparatus-with other parts removed or broken .i. l 4" .c,v,....^.`,`.- il 1HE r:Fhe numeral denotes one ofjapairwof ordinary railway "ails secured upon the usualcross-ties 24. A basefblocltV Qgpf any suitable material is mounted alongside `an outer face of one rail .28 and preferably near a highway crossing the railway, so that the stop-signal 1 maybe seen at aI considerable distance from the highway and fromA either of opposite directions, as the sign is doublefaced. y

While the sign 1 is shown as circular, it may be of any other shape, and it Vis secured diametrically upon a vertical rotatable shaft 3 with its lower end stepped inthe base-block 22, the upper end` of the shaft being mounted to rotate ina bearing vopen'- ing in a horizontal terminalof a standard 2, the latter secured rigidly upon the top of a hollow casing support 4l fixed on the basebloclr. The shaft 3 also traverses a bearing opening in the top of said `casing support 'and carries within the casing around itself a pin-gear 5 with which is meshed a larger spur-gear 6 on a vertical shaft 7.

On another rotatable vertical shaft 9 in said casing is .fixed a relatively small spur the spring may be wound up by rotating thev shaft while the said gearing and the shaft 3 arefheld against rotation by means tobe described. A 'ratchet-wheel 1() is also fixed on the 'shaft 9 and its teeth are engaged by a pawl 11 pivotally` mounted on the casing L to y.prevent retrograde rotation of the shaft 9'.

Below' the pin-gear 5 the shaft 3 has the .oppositely projecting arms 34 of the same shape and length. Apair of like stop members 14 and 33 are fined yon rock-shafts v16 and 81 respectively and relatively positioned to project toward each other to be interposed within the path of rotation of the arms 3a when in their lowered positions. When either member let or 33 is swung in` a direction or directions indicated by the full lines as .tothe member .M and the two pairs dotted vlines as vrelatesjo the meinlr j? they. clear the ir1ns 3i, bu t it will be under.- stood that said arms a1'eib y 1 neans of ap -priate setting and independent releasing .means swung alternately so that but oneis swung out `of the path ofrotation ofthe arms 34@ at the same time, vthe other member being then engaged tensionally by the. particular arm 34 which is thenrotatedthereagainst by the propelling actionof the driving spring 13. The stop members thus successively limit the scope of rotation in one direction of the shaft and ksign 1so that the sign is alternately positioned in the signaling position shown' in Fig. 1. where it maybe seen from either direction from i f vthe highway, or in a non-signalingposition not perceptible from a distance on the high-` way, that is edgewise to vthe `railway track and parallel with the highway. In its signaling position the sign 1 is held togethern with the shaft' by reason` of one arm 34 tensionally engagingl with the hither side of the free end of the stop member '33 after a partial rotation of the shaft 3 when the other stop-member 14 is swung upwardly by the signal setting mechanism to be described.

This setting mechanism includes a pressure-member or arm 27 projecting ironia short transverse roch-shaft 26 mounted in a bearing Q9 abutting upon the outer face of the rail 23, the pressure-member 27 projecting into the path of translatory movement of any suitable and appropriately placed projection on an approaching locomotive or train at a considerable distance Yfrom the highway. A tension-spring 23 is connected between said member 27 and a cross-tie 24 to tend to resiliently resist movement ot the arm 27^from its normal vertical position indicated by dotted lines toward the right or away from the signaling apparatus. On the rock-shaft lwhich is mounted in a spaced pair ot' bearings 20 is another and diametrically oppositely projected pair of arms at 17, a coiled tension-spring being connected to the lower arm and tending' to rock the shai't 16 to the right. A connecting-rod 19 is connected between the end ot the upper arm 17 and a middle part of the setting or pressure member 2'?. Another coiled tension spring` 15 is connected between the outer part of the stop member 14 and the base-block 22 directly below and tending to retain the member 14 in its lowered'position.

The signaling apparatus shown may be actuated to set and return the signal 1 in succession, by a locomo-tive or train approaching the apparatus from either direction along sai-d rails 23, by stationing a setting device such as is shown in the figures on each side of the signal at the proper distance. Such a device (not shown) has its connecting-rod 21, the latter beingthe like of the other rod 19 but moving reversely for the same functions, connected to the end ot the lower rock-arm 17 in the swinging ot the shaft 16 andthe stop member 14 in the same way.

An approaching train therefore contacts with and swings the pressurel member 2T toward the apparatus or signal 1. The connections then swing upwardly the stop member 14 as shown in full lines,releasing the arm 34 which is by the impelling action of the spring 13 rotated toward and into contact with the other stop member 33 which is in its lowered position. The sign 1 is thus rotated from an unsignaling to a signaling position where it remains until rotatedr to an unsignaling position. The train having moved forward nearly tothe highway contacts with the releasing pressure member 32 thus swinging it to the left and swinging up the-stop member releasing the arm 34, so that the spring 13 may rotate the shaft- 3 a partial rotation to place the sign 1 in a non-signaling position while engaging the other arm 34 with the 'further side the stop member 14, the latter' being now in its dotted line lowered position owing to the trainhaving passed away from the pressure member 2T and the reaction ot the spring 15. The train in progressing having released the arm it resumes its vertical position bythe trac-tion ot' the spring 35 connected to the base-block.

It will be observed that the action is always positive, and may be constant, as the driving-spring 13 may be re-wound from time to time by a track-walker or inspector.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a signaling apparatus, a rotatable signaling device, resiliently-controlled means forv rotating it in one direction, and independent devices for releasably limiting parts of a rotation of the signaling device, each of Said independent devices including' a resiliently-controlled operating device. i

2. In a signaling apparatus, a rotatablesignaling device, means forrotating it in one direction only, and means for releasably limiting the scope of rotation otsaid signaling device including a movable pressure member, and other elements operatively connected to said pressure member.

3. In a signaling apparatus, a rotatable signa-ling device, resiliently-controlled mechanism for rotating it in one direction only, said signaling device having a lateral 4projection, and mechanism for releasably limiting the scope of rotation of said device including a pressure member, a stop element movable into and out of the path of movement of said projection, and operative connections between the pressure member and said stopelement.

4. In a signaling apparatus, a rotatable signaling device. resiliently-controlled mechanism for rotating it in one direction only, said device having opposite lateral projections, mechanism for releasably limiting the scope of rotation of said device including a releasable stop therefor movable into and out of the path of movement of said projections, and another releasable stop independently movable into and out of the path of movement of said projections in succession to the first-mentioned stop.

5. In a signaling apparatus. a rotatable signaling device, resiliently-controlled means for rotating it in one direction only, sai d device having opposite lateral projections, a movable pressure-member, means for resiliently controlling said pressure-member, a resiliently-controlled movable stop member positionedto be moved into and out of the path of movement of said projections, another resiliently-controlled movable stop member also movable into and out of the path of rotation ofsaid projections, another weones n'iovaiole pressurc--ineniber, and operative connections between said pressure-'ineinbers and said stop ineinbers respectively, Yfor independent actuation tliereo'l in suceession-` t3. In a signaling apparatus, a rotatable signaling device, means for positively rotating it in one direction, and independent ineclianisins including successively operable movable pressure elements and also including stop elements successively rnoved by said pressure elements to alternately engage and stop tlie signaling device and release the latter in turn.

7. In a signaling apparatus, a rotatable signaling device, a coiled. spring, intermediate operating elements actuated by said spring when Wound up under tension, said elements being operatively `connected with the signaling device, and independently actuable mechanisms for alternately stopping and releasing said signaling device includan eseapenient upon the signaling device in releasably liiniting its scope of rotation interniittently.

laterloo, Iowa, March 1l, 1924.

In testimony whereof I affix niy sigi'iature.`

ANTONA KOKENGE.

ing movable pressure eleinents and acting 

